Rising Sun
by Hek'UnnSkipper
Summary: The world is on the verge of succumbing to the great evil that resides in it. And the Scarlet haired elf must ally herself with the most dangerous creature to prevent this from happening.


**The world is on the verge of succumbing to the great evil that resides in it. And the Scarlet haired elf must ally herself with the most dangerous creature to prevent this from happening.**

 **Chapter 1: The Garden of God: The Fortress Lost in Time**

 _Arda, the world in which Elves, Men, Dwarves, Hobbits and Demons live, all contributing their own parts to the Middle Earth in their own way, while fighting of the great evil that has found its way to the lands and peoples heart._

 _Out of these four species, the Elves were the most prominent ones, having control over two large portion of the planet. The realm of the Woodland Elves and many other small domains banded together the north east, while the realm of the Silver Elves stood alone and away from the East, occupying the North West. Together with the Dwarves domain, and Fiore, the only Human Kingdom, they form the continent of Ishgar. These immortal beings worshipped the light, considering it as their sacred symbol._

 _The dwarves on the other hand occupy...occupied the higher northern mountain of Arda, where the shine of golden light from the treasure always flooded the area, bringing the richness in wealth and soil out, until a calamity happened to them, prompting them to abandon their homes and be scattered throughout Arda, some places accepted them, while other places did not._

 _Fiore, unlike the human settlements scattered all over Arda, is the largest human environment, millions of humans occupied the area, some wizards and some outcasts from the Elven and Darwen empires but mostly humans and they had a Human King._

 _And finally, may it be said to be imaginary or a nightmare, myth or folktale, there exist a land filled with darkness, the soil eroded to acid like black dunes of desserts filled with lifeless trees and red glowing eyes, where the Owl hoots, and no other creature makes a noise. The land where life rots away upon entering, maggots and leeches razes fallen corpses, the charred piece of Arda in the South eastern side, the dark lands._

A tall imposing castle like structure with two giant statues of female Elves holding on to their swords, giving the impression of a powerful empire was the territory of the Silver Elves. The castle reached to the skies, with the size of a giant mountain, radiating power and authority that was blended with royalty.

Unlike the other regions, here, this Elven Empire was under the control of a Queen rather than a King. However, no one but the castles higher elves elite knew who she is. The Elven Queen, aging more than a thousand years had a few daughters, the eldest, a General of the Royal army, guarding the nation from the south, reigning absolute control over two hundred thousand elves of both gender. Titania is how she is known.

Her long deep Scarlet tresses fell down her shoulder, with two strands on either side tied behind, holding the hair above her pointy ears, swayed with the wind as she walked down the halls of the fortress that seemed to be empty. Her creamy skin, rosy full lips, dark brown eyes, a small nose stud made of a small diamond was the only jewelry along with the two golden bangles that were on her left wrist she had. Her sizable bust was not the things that gave her the title Titania. Many elves and other species that were smitten by her beauty had come to ask her hand in matrimony, the ones who were decent was met with disappointment while the _**pigs**_ were slaughtered.

The woman was said to be a beast, untamed and wild as a dragon, clad in her armor at all times with her sword at her side, she commanded her legion, demanding absolute loyalty from her troops and reigned complete dominance over them.

Her steps were carefully calculated and firm, yet elegant with the grace of a fairy as she entered the Garden of Eden, a sacred place for the Warrior Elves. "Hello child, it has been a long time since thy has come to me, what is the occasion?" The voice was graceful and old, radiating wisdom beyond age and a small touch of humor. The Knight did not speak nor seemed to acknowledge the voice, but hastened her steps through the white marble path amidst the exotic garden, the trees didn't grow tall, instead they twisted and turned in all direction, with moss covering them and fireflies gently danced above them and the flowers and long glowing grass around them. "Two hundred years perhaps?" Titania's gaze fell on a Willow tree, an enormous Willow that stood over three hundred feet with full and lush leaves.

Stopping in front of the tree, Titania bowed. "Forgive me for my ignorance, please hit me." Her voice was strong and defined than a girly blushing one. Before anyone could think if the Titania had lost her mind, the trees bark twisted and turned to form a wrinkly old feminine face.

"I do not know if you are mocking my inability to move, child." The Willow tree joked and before the scarlet beauty's naivety in taking her words serious and doing something drastic to herself, the old woman's face continued. "It was a joke child. But tell me, how was your campaign in the South?"

Relieved, the Elven Princess rouse to her feet, but kept her body relaxed, even then, authority radiated from her being. "The campaign was a success, Grandmother Willow. The Orcs have retreated back further into Alakitasia. No doubt the mortals will be on alert, after all _Humans_ will not lose a chance to kill a few orcs and boast about slaying an army." There was disgust clearly evident in her voice, and a distant look that made the Grandmother Willow smile sympathetically.

"Still you are not able to forgive, child? A grudge can never lead you…" Titania's hair swayed more as a stream of wind tickled past her face, as if the Willow tree grazed her. "Hate is a powerful emotion, but it will consume you for the evil that lays dormant..." Once again an odd wind lifted Titania's red locks, albeit only for a moment.

"I understand..." But the Spirit tree knew better than to believe the uncertain words of the scarlet beauty. "But the reason for my arrival at a time like this is because-"

"Smaug the Magnificent has forced out the Dwarves of Lonely Mountain." The Willow Spirit's voice was one of sadness. "And the Woodland Elves failed to keep their promise and made their alliance void…what have they come down to, Thranduil s actions are not in the right."

Titania's face stoned with full seriousness as the events that lead her to the Garden was spoken. "Grandmother Willow, I need your wisdom, what shall I do?"

"Dear child, that is for your mother to decide, but I am surely not imagining when I say the great evil is between our lands and the others, my roots can feel it." The aged voice was slow and heavy. "The presence of poison and cobwebs..."

"Smaug has not promised allegiance to anyone, but even so, what might be the outcome if we lead the Army against the dragon?" Titania asked, although not entirely sure about taking such a decision, she needed to know.

"I can tell you this, a clash with your army and Smaug will be victorious, but at a cost you will never be able to repay. I would advice forming an alliance." The old Willow said with concern.

Titania was confused and the stress was catching up. "With whom should we place an alliance? And what will be the use? The Eastern Elves? The Dwarves? _**Men**_? Hobbits?" The Scarlet elf was thinking through all the possibilities. Smaug is not the only villain in the picture, there were others, more dangerous, both wizards and Demons.

"Tartarus." The word froze Titania.

Mount Tartarus lied in the South eastern part of Arda, below the Woodland Elves; the Demon Capital was a mountain that crawled with the vicious abominations of the Arda, these beings that were no creation of gods, but was created by an unknown force, serving an unknown purpose. "Grandmother Willow, the last battle, over three hundred years ago has made the Demons retreat back to their lair, now with Arda divided; they have probably swarmed up a number."

"Hehehe…there are Dragons that can help you there.." The Willow Spirit's suggestion stumped Titania.

"That is absurd! Those savages are evil, greedy and monstrous. Even with these _**qualities**_ , the most disturbing is that they were created by Morgoth! And reside in that god forsaken mountain. The thought itself make my skin crawl." Titania exclaimed, swiping her hands to the side in an action that clearly showed her disdain.

"Not all Dragons were created by Morgoth, child." The Willow's revelation piqued the interest Princess, but she shook it off fast.

"Still, their greed would be persistent to leave. And even if they are not greedy or evil, what will make you think that they will help our cause? Do you know any of them to begin with?" Titania was not expecting the Willow tree to have an answer to that, but no, at least a small chuckle proved it.

"As a matter of fact I do know one. The problem is, he doesn't have any interest that one could lure him with. Gold and riches won't pull him out of his cave." The Willow's answer brought Titania to halt.

"A dragon that has no love for treasure, is such a thing possible?" Her voice was of astonishment. "Then how do you propose we rally him to our side?" Her question was genuine, no matter how absurd the thought of recruiting a dragon. "Besides, is he strong enough? Maybe his interest for gold and riches died because other dragons won't give up."

"Oh, no, he is quiet strong. The tale of his titanic strength, his unconquerable flames and the legendary rage still whispers with the wind and haunts the walls of history. It was said that, once Eru Ilúvatar himself visited him, asking to take up the task as destroyer, so as to balance creation. But myths say that he rejected the offer, but still, the ones that lived long enough like me, trees, elves, demons and dragons not knows of this one s name, other than his alias, E.N.D, the King of the Imperishable Flames." Titania's eyes were widened in shock at the words that poured from the spiritual advisor.

"E.N.D...he s a dragon?! Wasn't he the King of the Demon Mountain, Tartarus? You want him to help for the cause of good? Moreover, he is just a myth that lives among many other bedtime stories told to children to keep them in bed, relating the Dark lands." Titania was not comfortable with that name, no one was, even her mother felt unease upon the mention of E.N.D, not just the name, but the word too, end, it was not used, instead the terms halt, cease, stop etc were used.

The Willow Spirit chuckled with amusement. "Truly child, you are not saying that the lack of hearing the word 'end' in the palace is because elves have difficulty in spelling it?" Titania had a little pink over her cheeks.

"No…but E.N.D cannot be real. Created by the vilest wizard of Arda, Zeref and placed as his Lieutenant, the monster that made the Dark Lands...even if he is real, are you suggesting that I call him, probably the vilest of creatures, irrelevant of Ilúvatar's offer to him, he should still be evil enough." The Willow chuckled.

"You think a lot child. Those are all good pointers to what I said, but there are a lot more to E.N.D than just death, and I can already feel that you will have to cross paths with him soon enough." The Willows words confused her.

"Crossing paths? So are you implying that the most feared demon in the world is still alive? Or actually exists?" That was not reassuring. If it was anything, it was a message to mobilize the entire Elven army and declare a State of Emergency.

"In a way child...but you did not just come to me so you can say and hear all these things, there is something bothering you, what is it?" The tree asked concededly and Titania flinched.

"I.." The Knight began, trying to form her thoughts to a good rhythm. "I am being haunted." She was expecting the Willow to be amused just like when she informed this to her most loyal and trusted intimate friend and sister, the Demon of Yoda Elves, a female like herself but with an entirely different way of living.

But she did not expect the worried look on the Willow spirit. "Continue my child.."

Taking a deep breath, Titania began. "There's this woman…clad in an armor and skirt that which attire I have never seen before…when I was a child, she used to come in between long breaks, probably to prevent me from causing trouble, but as the years went by...she started to appear frequently...nobody else other than me can see her."

"Hmm..I will not ask why you didn't tell me this before. But do tell me what this _ghost lady_ does." The Willow Spirit softly asked.

Titania once again had trouble in starting what to say. "She...she doesn't do anything…sometimes a nod, or a shake and a couple of times pointed to select...other than that, nothing."

"Do you feel disturbed by her?" The Willow spirit asked deductively.

Titania had a firm answer in the beginning itself. "No." But then it faltered. "..Quiet opposite...she is silent and hears all my worries, but…" Again there was a continuity problem. "…but I always feel constrained in my chest...as if that woman is suffering...and I want to help her somehow, but she doesn't speak…at times she walks away and won't appear for days.." She ended with a tired sigh.

There was a moment of silence. "How does she look like, her appearance, will you share it with me?" A nod came from the Elven Princess.

"That is another one of my concerns, it is what made me restrained from telling you, because of my detest to humans I might have been imagining you would say, because she...looks exactly like me...only she's a human." Her voice flailed slightly.

"Hmm…you are an odd one child," Erza was about to get embarrassed. "But a special child, otherwise how will you be able to come in contact with your past life?" The words surprised her, yet again.

"My…past life…? That's absurd! Then how am I alive?" Titania was becoming more impatient than before. The words of the tree gave her answers and questions at the same time, not answer to the question, answer to make the succeeding question.

"Oh it is not like that child, she is not a separate entity, she is just you, a subconscious you. That is made up of your stored memories from thy prior life. Usually when a person is reincarnated, these memories will come when one is in his infancy and they will forget it as they grow while some tends to keep having them." The Willow spoke sagely.

The red head tried piecing the information. "Grandmother Willow...then why is she still there?"

The Willow remained silent for a moment. "She intends to show you something...something related to your past maybe." The words that rolled of were least of all comfortable to the Scarlet elf. "I give you my blessing...albeit it is always with you.." The Elf warrior princess bowed one last time before turning around and striding towards.

.

.

.

The Princess stood at the open balcony of her room, now changed into a white night gown that hid her nudity a little. Her scarlet hair lightly moved backwards with the cool night breeze as she stared into the moon. The light that fell from the celestial body gave her being an ethereal glow. "I will follow you today." The Elven Princess spoke softly

She slowly turned around and the emotionless face of her ghost from her past came. As usual, without a word, the ghost started walking down the stairs; Titania quickly placed her armor and sword, following her ghostly image. The guards stood erect at the sight of their princess, who didn't even bother to acknowledge them as she increased her pace to catch up to the ghost. The ghost abruptly disappeared, reappearing on a cliff 500 yards away.

With her superior eyesight and strength, the Elven Princess covered the distance quietly but fast, appearing next to her past, who was pointing at some bushes. "What is it?" Titania unsheathed her sword and carefully separated the midsection of the large bush, revealing a hidden cave. There was a few seconds of silence that came over her. "Very well..." Her will fixed, she stepped forward, scaling the passage by herself, picking up the speed on the way.

At every junction, her ghost stood, pointing at the right way, or the one where she must go. This was becoming more of a test of her endurance as the tunnel seems to not end at all. Hours seem to pass by; a thin sheet of sweat covered her face with a few strands of her hair sticking on, while her undershirt was drenched completely. But just when she was thinking about taking a break, her ghost appeared in front of her, staring at the elf with the usual blankness.

"What? At least let me take a few minutes off." The ghost nodded as she too sat down, opposite to the princess. Once again silence engulfed them. "She wants me to be the heir to the throne..." She spoke softly. Her ghost continued to stare at her, not a deadpanned look, one that was of silent concern. "I'm not her child…still she wishes to pass down the crown to me in a few centuries...it is too much...I do not think I will be able to handle the kingdom..."

An hour or so passed, her energy rejuvenated, she looked over to her companion who was already standing, and once again she was on the move. It didn't take long as the cool night air hit her skin as she shot out of the tunnels exit and onto a grassy plain. "Well that was quick..." she muttered under her breath as she let out a sigh of relief from being free from the small congested path.

Looking around to see where her ghost has taken her, the Elven Princess's eyes narrowed. In the distance, where the plain ended was a thick wall of shady dead trees. "The South..." She could not believe her eyes; she was standing at the border of the Dark Forest, the wall like dead forest which halts the death from the other side from invading the life on this side

The ghost appeared once again and started to walk slowly towards the forest, the princess right behind her, arm loosely placed on her sword. Upon entering the forest, surprisingly through a small path that seemed to be cleared recently, they strode. She could already sense the sound of legs, not of anything normal, but creatures with many limbs. Her grip on the handle tightened and in one quick motion she sliced the giant spider that jumped at her into two neatly cut pieces.

Before more action could take place, the spirit, lead her to another passage that was a hole in a dead oak tree which the spirit stood in front off. Titania rushed in, and was surprised to find the passage leading underground but was startled at the sound of the entrance closing behind her, followed by lamps lilting themselves on either side of the rocky passage. "Running again?" She didn't need to turn around to know that the spirit was nodding as she once again she began her run and as she passed, each of the fire lit went out, encasing her back in darkness once again.

The moon light that fell from the top indicated her journey's end through the tunnel. Climbing up the steps carved out of stone, her eyes, no, her entire being stood in shock. She was standing in what seemed to be a destroyed city, the building structures all belonged to different age and to different group of people from what she could tell, all covered in moss or giant trees and roots taking them to the skies, in stark contrast to the dead land around it.

She did not get time to inspect the ancient city, she was here for answers. And they had to be found by following her ghost, who has began to walk slowly through the massive roots that blocked the paths, jumping over these green giants, the scarlet beauty followed her companion but not ignoring the surroundings.

A little later, they both stood in front of a huge and imposing castle like structure built on to a mountain that greatly resembled the lonely mountain, but lacked the giant stone statues of the dwarfs. You want me to go inside? She was met with a nod. Very well. Her silent companion walked slowly towards the enormous structure and Titania noticed one thing, each step she took, her companion seemed to lose more and more of her already transparent body s visibility. What is happening to you? The guide stopped at a small gap to the side of the giant stone doors and turned to look at the Elven princess with a sad smile as she began to vanish.

Don t lose him again Her ghostly imitation spoke for the first time, her voice soft and broken, the pain pulled the warrior princess s heart in a way she hadn t felt before, she tried to reach out and grab her disappearing form, but it was all in vain as she vanished away from existence.

No! She let her arm fall atop the side as she fell on her knees. She could still hear her voice; it was like hearing her own. The pain and helplessness she felt which transpired in those two seconds clenched her heart. She drew out her mighty sword and stabbed it into the ground as she gritted her teeth while holding her weight onto the sword. The scarlet locks on the front shadowed her eyes. I have come too far to cry and give up. Rising up slowly, she entered the gap, but her mind still floated around this words. What did she mean by that? Who am I going to lose? The small entrance was a tunnel that lead her deeper into the mountain until she arrived deep inside the structure.

Looking around, she quickly analyzed her surroundings. It was familiar yet new, remnants of what seemed to be a mightily big and prosperous palace, now lost in time, covered by moss and large roots. Letting out a deep breath, calming her vulnerable mind, pulling back her defenses on, she pulled out the sword from the ground and held it to the side, her ears twitched, trying to pick the sounds of any intruders or occupants who could show potential hostility towards her. Now Elves didn't possess the ability to see in darkness, but their eyes were much sharper than humans, Hobbits and Dwarves, their powerful eyes utilized the maximum of the minimum light the area provided to see and here in this place where history began, the small rays of moonlight which passed through the tiny cracks were the only help she got.

Then came the next abnormality, the more deeper she went, the bigger the palace halls grew, and the warmer it got. Her brows twitched as a drop of sweat flowed down from her forehead and went through her soft toned neck as she swallowed a little. Soon she reached a massive structure that could hold the entirety of a small Mountain. Some of the ceiling gave way for enough moonlight to illuminate most of the mastodonic structure that could be seen by a normal human, to the side, she saw a large high platform which hosted a large worn out throne. Carefully striding over, she observed the royal seating. The marks were old, but the dents and broken pieces were too artificial to be the work of time. There occurred a battle, she knew.

But then she whipped around, turning to the opposite side, her eyes widened and she crossed three hundred meters of the half mile long room. There was a large seal on the stone wall, engraved into the old stone in a circle. The inner part if the circle shied a dragon and at the circumference of the circle, it wrote in bold cut, symbols she never saw before.

There was a rustle behind her and for a moment she thought she saw something massive on the side. "Who's there?" She held her sword defensively as she turned on the balls of her feet. There was nothing in the darkness, but she wasn't going to be fooled. Seconds passed and nothing happened and her stance began to lower.

 **"Erza?"** The voice was gravelly and massive, yet surprised. But more than that, she could feel the heat multiply ten folds. It became as if she was in a hot summer afternoon. Slowly she turned around and couldn't help but widen he'd eyes lightly at the sight before her. It was big, at least three hundred meters in length. And from the little light provided, she could see the well defined muscles of it's front limbs that were attached to a bulky chest and ended on the ground where ptwo massive clawed arms were. She couldn't see the exact color, but it was something red, and it's eyes were large molten gold pools that were fixed on her little form.

In all its glory, a Dragon stood in front of the Warrior princess. And she couldn't help but feel, powerless here, but one thing confused her. The dragon spoke her name, not the one she was given in the battlefield but her birth name, what her mother gave her. Nevertheless, she stood her ground, raising her sword defensively and bending her knees. This maybe her last moments, but she will not go down without a challenge.

XxxX

 **Review if you liked it**

 _ **This is a story based on the Hobit/Lord of the Rings universe about a time line after the end of the War.**_


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